Month: January 2017

How do you breakfast?

~ emmaakoch ~ 3 Comments

Our 2yr old has been on a pretty impressive hunger strike. Im not sure what exactly she is striking for. And I’m not sure she does either, besides a vague sense of power and control.

We try to hold steadfast. Don’t give in and serve cheerios 24/7.

There are always frozen waffles and boxes of cereal on hand, but I strive to stay as creative and varied as possible – I read somewhere that kids fall so quickly into food ruts, that it’s important to try not to serve the same thing more than once or twice in row. Keep it varied to keep them open minded.

(Pancakes are on frequent rotation)

Ellyn Satter writes about the “division of responsibility”, a concept that I find so comforting.  

As she reminds us, we as parents are responsible for the what, when and where of eating, and children are responsible for the how much and whether of eating. 

We generally follow this rule – our kids don’t have to eat, but we won’t make them another option. Either they eat the healthy family meal, or they don’t eat. This often means that meals are skipped. Sometimes two meals in a row are skipped.

So that brings us back to breakfast – what are good options to start the day, besides cereal, cereal and more cereal?

Here are four of our recent attempts at thinking outside the (cereal) box:

1.) Smoothies, of all kinds. Sneak in some fresh spinach if you can.

2.) Hard boiled eggs with butter and sea salt.

3.) Avocado toast. A surprisingly HUGE hit.

4.) Sourdough toast with raw honey, orange slices.

So how do you breakfast? 

One friend suggested these muffins with carrots and zucchini baked in – they were awesome. Another friend has been known to serve homemade apple pie (brilliant – feels special, but is really just apples and bread).  

Demo day

~ emmaakoch ~ 3 Comments

Demo started today on our master bathroom. 

Within three weeks I am hoping it looks like this:

Rather than this:

We are updating the shower with 4×8″ subway tiles, a slightly larger size than the traditional 3×6″ with the hopes of fewer grout lines.

The shower floor, bench and threshold, as well as the new vanity counter, will all be carrera marble.  

For the floor of the shower we chose a chevron pattern – we had considered a more traditional basketweave but the chevron felt a bit more fresh.

 The new shower walls and door will be frameless glass, a huge improvement over the current glass block situation.

1. Sconces – we recently used these in our family room and playroom, and love them in person. So this was an easy choice for us. 

You can catch a glimpse of them from afar on the walls of our family room next to the fireplace below:

And here they are in our playroom:

2. Mirrors: I had admired a similar one at Pottery Barn, but this is a fraction of the price.

3. Faucets: We will add a second sink with a new vanity. There is plenty of room, so I’m not sure why there weren’t two all along – this will be a nice update. I saw them used here and love the classic look:

4. Accessories: We will use the same Moen line that we used for the faucets to update all the accessories (toilet paper holder, towel ring and bar, etc).

5. Vanity: I’ve seen this used on a few design blogs, (most recently by Emily Henderson) but was skeptical of the quality. It turns out that a friend of ours had used this same brand in their master bathroom reno a few years ago and so I was able to see it in person. It’s a beauty, with soft close drawers, and marble top. It has held up really well, and the price cannot be beat. We will plan to change out the hardware when it arrives.
Here is one of my inspiration pictures:

6.  Shower head and trim: Classic, matches well with the faucets, and price can’t be beat.

The goal is to have the bathroom work wrapped by by February 15th. I’ll be back with updates!

Weekend wardrobe 

~ emmaakoch ~ 2 Comments

I love the idea of a capsule wardrobe, but so far haven’t had the discipline to create one and follow the rules. But I do find myself going back again and again to some staple pieces.

Best part is, most of these favorites are not pricey. My favorite pair of jeans is in fact only $19.99. And my go-to leggings only $14.99.  Surely the best leggings from a quality to cost ratio. 

Take a look if you’d like to see:

1. Heavyweight tee/ 2.Pearls/3. Pullover   4.Leggings/5. Running Sneakers/6.Jeans/7.Slip on sneakers

What’s on your plate?

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Every time we make the trek to wholefoods, a container of Meredith Dairy goat and sheeps cheese makes its way into our cart.

This cheese is a true multi-tasker.  It works on crackers, spread on bread as part of a sandwich, and perhaps best of all, on pasta.

“What’s for dinner?”

It’s 5o clock, nothing has been made and nothing has been planned for. Grab a box of pasta, and whatever vegetables are in your fridge (or in a jar in your pantry for that matter), some garlic and this cheese.

Last week we made it with cherry tomatoes and chopped vine tomatoes, some leftover fennel, and garlic.

Roast the vegetables until they are soft. Add a pinch of parsley.


A green salad on the side.

Arugula, shaved Brussels sprouts, cranberries and cucumbers.

Cheers!